Annual Distinguished Visiting Professorship in Mathematical Sciences
WORLD CHANGERS TOGETHER
Expressions of interest are invited from world-leading researchers in any area of the Mathematical Sciences and its Applications (including Pure and Applied Mathematics, and Statistics) for a three-month appointment to the University of Glasgow's flagship Distinguished Visiting Professorship.
The aim of the Professorship is to explore collaborations with colleagues at the University of Glasgow and the wider UK community, and to conduct research and deliver a public lecture. The holder will be encouraged to provide informal mentoring to early-career researchers and provide masterclasses. The Distinguished Visiting Professor will have an international reputation, and a proven track record of world-class research.
The School of Mathematics & Statistics
The University’s first Chair of Mathematics was established in1691. Today, the School has a very active and diverse range of research activity across applied and pure mathematics and statistics, with more than 75 members of staff and 100 PhD students, including one Fellow of the Royal Society of London, two Fellows of the American Mathematical Society, and five Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
In the UK's 2021 independent research assessment exercise (REF2021), 100% of our research activity was judged to be either world-leading (66%) or internationally-excellent (34%). Using this assessment, we were ranked 1st in Scotland and 5th in the UK by the Times Higher Education. Our research grant income is in excess of £3M annually. We lead and contribute to a number of research hubs, such as GALLANT, Core Structures, The SofTMech Centre and Future PCI Planning.
Part of this success was due to providing a nurturing and friendly environment for our researchers to work in. We use our resources to build excellence in our own research, to develop collaborations and networks with others, and to enable our researchers to continually develop within a positive environment. Members of the School have been awarded a CBE, an OBE, a Senior Whitehead Prize, an ASME Timoshenko Medal, a Rodney Hill Prize, a David Crighton Medal, an Adams Prize, a Barnett Award of the Royal Statistical Society, Frank Hansford-Miller Award from the Statistical Society of Australia, and a Dillwyn Medal.
The School runs regular seminars, including an annual Distinguished Lecture Series. We offer a range of opportunities for postgraduate and postdoctoral research, including in Centres for Doctoral for Training in Algebra, Geometry and Quantum Fields, Ecological Data Science, Exascale Computing for Earth, Environmental and Sustainability Solutions and Iapetus for the Natural Environment.
Campus development plan
Our Vision
Over the next 10 years, the major investment will expand our campus footprint by 25%, creating a new urban quarter with the University at the heart of a revitalised west end. This is the largest development since the creation of the original campus in 1870.
This is a unique opportunity for a University to extend the boundaries of its historic core in a central city location. It will create:
- New learning and teaching facilities
- Refurbishment and repurposing of existing iconic buildings for specialist uses
- Identification and design of social spaces that support the student and community experience.
The expansion of our Gilmorehill campus into the 14 acre, former Western Infirmary site will transform the West End of Glasgow. The Masterplan for the site will incorporate:
- New learning and teaching facilities supporting our students and making sure they get the best in modern teaching and learning styles and approaches
- Creation of a Research Hub, housing large-scale multidisciplinary projects and incubator space for spin out collaborations with industry. This will encourage further innovation development
- New public cycle and pedestrian routes and a new central square which will link Byres Road to the up-and-coming cultural quarter for the West End, with new links to Kelvingrove and the newly-refurbished Kelvin Hall
- Refurbishment of five listed buildings: The Chapel, the Outpatients building, the Macgregor building, the Tennent Institute and Anderson College
- Commercial opportunities, including a hotel, restaurant, bars and cafes
- The state of the art Learning and Teaching Hub adjacent to the Boyd Orr building on University Avenue will be completed next year.
Find out more
Living in Glasgow
A UNESCO City of Music, a vibrant arts and culture scene, a food-lover’s delight, and a shopper’s paradise. Just some of the highlights of the ‘friendliest city in the world’. As well as that accolade by the Rough Guides poll, Glasgow has also been named a must visit destination by publications including the New York Times, The Guardian, and Wanderlust.
Music
The city hosts an average of 130 music events a week catering for every taste; from rock to rap, and classical to country. Glasgow also has a world class club scene playing host to some of the world’s top DJs.
Shopping
Outside of London’s West End, Glasgow is frequently voted the best place for shopping in the UK. A must-visit destination for any shop-a-holic, it houses high street chains, international designers, and independent retailers. The West End, home to the University of Glasgow, is bustling with vintage fashion, vinyl stores, and second-hand bookshops.
Arts and Culture
Glasgow’s arts scene has gone from strength to strength, and is the base for five internationally renowned performing arts companies including the National Theatre of Scotland and Scottish Ballet. The city has several world-class museums, which are free to the public, and the city’s architecture is a work of art in itself.
Food and drink
You can be in Glasgow and taste the world with its many diverse restaurants, cafes, and bars. And if you’ve yet to sample the delights of haggis and whisky, Glasgow is the place to be.
The City and Beyond
Glasgow has all the opportunities and excitement of a big city but its compact size means you can quickly travel from one vibrant district to the next. You could be relaxing in one of its many parks, before shopping in the quirky West End, and then dancing until the wee small hours in the Merchant City.
And when you fancy getting out of the city you can reach the stunning Loch Lomond in just 30 minutes, climb one of our many breath-taking Munros, play golf at one of Scotland’s many world-class courses, visit one of our ancient castles, or go further North and search for Nessie! Scotland has also just been named the world’s most beautiful country by Rough Guides.
Relocating to Glasgow
Choosing to relocate to Glasgow is a big decision. There are numerous things to be considered, such as the costs of moving, the cost of living, and where exactly to relocate to. We have created two guides to aide you in the decision making process.
Find out more on relocating to Glasgow at the below link:
WORLD CHANGERS TOGETHER
WORLD CHANGING GLASGOW 2025
Our outstanding disciplinary breadth and expertise has enabled us to make world-changing advances in fields as diverse as medicine, physics, linguistics, public policy and global development.
The key to our success is our talented staff and students pushing back at the boundaries of knowledge and understanding together.
Our World Changers Together strategy recognises the fundamental importance of a culture of open cooperation: not just as colleagues and mentors or students and teachers, but as a community of discovery that reaches beyond its walls and draws inspiration and strength from its connections and partnerships worldwide: excellence that's part of something bigger. The strategy is articulated across three themes:
COMMUNITY
- People centred, globally engaged
CONNECTIVITY
- Collaboratively minded, digitally enhanced
CHALLENGES
- Solution focused, impact oriented
Find out more
How to apply
Applications should include a C.V. and a cover letter detailing your interest and plans during the visit. The names of at least three referees should be given. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed.
The deadline for receipt of applications for the 2026/27 Professorship is the 8th of March 2026.
A substantial honorarium will be provided to cover expenses and living costs for the duration of the appointment.
For further details and how to apply
Potential applicants are also welcome to contact the Head of School, Professor Nigel Mottram:
or the Search Committee Convener, Professor Nicholas Hill:
Information about the School of Mathematics and Statistics can be found at
As part of Team UofG you will be a member of a world changing, inclusive community, which values ambition, excellence, integrity and curiosity.
We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community here.
We endorse the principles of Athena Swan and hold bronze, silver and gold awards across the University.
We are investing in our organisation, and we will invest in you too. Please visit our website https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/jobs/ for more information.
It is the University of Glasgow’s mission to foster an inclusive climate, which ensures equality in our working, learning, research and teaching environment. We strongly endorse the principles of Athena SWAN, including a supportive and flexible working environment, with commitment from all levels of the organisation in promoting gender equity.
Our values
The future holds innumerable challenges for our sector, our society, and our world. We will have to adapt and change what we do and what we offer if we are to navigate these successfully. Our strategy and approach may evolve as the landscape changes, but our values will remain constant: a fixed point of certainty in uncertain times.
We have identified our values in consultation and partnership with our staff and student community. Living and upholding these values will ensure that we remain true to the spirit of our community and ourselves:
Ambition and Excellence
- We strive for excellence through our work
- We defend academic freedom globally
- We recognise and celebrate shared success
- We have an unrelenting focus on development
Curiosity and Discovery
- We innovate and solve problems together
- We lead by influence and example
- We engage with lifelong learning and personal development
- We learn from our mistakes
Integrity and Truth
- We uphold honesty, integrity and fairness
- We share our work widely and generously
- We do the right thing, not the easy thing - or we don’t do it
- We take responsibility
An Inclusive Community
- We are one Glasgow team, and we care for and respect one another
- We advocate for diversity and believe in variety as a vital part of a healthy university
- We champion education as an engine for social progress
- We practise and advance sustainability